Clutch.



G. J. SCOFIELD.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1913.

G. J. SCOF|ELD-,

CLUTCH. APPLICATION FILED AF;R. 5. 1913.

Patented June 15, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Gags? uew I G. J. SCOFIELD.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5. 1913.

Patented June 15, 1915,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Q J: s W J 351314123 futon W414 tional view taken on the line XX Fig. 1

GILBERT J. SCOFIELD, 0F ELIVIIRA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE HILLIARD CLUTCH &

MACHINERY 00., or ELMIRA, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1913. Serial No. 759,033.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GILBERT J. Scormm), a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches, (B,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in clutches, and with regard to .certain more specific features thereof, to clutches of the friction-disk type.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical clutch mechanism.

Another object is to provide a clutch mechanism of the above character which will be inexpensive to manufacture and which may be easily assembled and taken apart.

Another object is to provide a clutch mechanism permitting certain flexibility demanded under varying conditions of use.

A further object is to provide a clutch mechanism in which the tendency to swing, due to centrifugal force, resulting in the breaking of parts and cutting of bearings will be eliminated.

A further object is to provide practical mountings and connections for various parts so as to enhance their ease of movement and reduce wear.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts-which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention, Figure 1 is a combined sectional and elevational view of the complete device; Fig. 2 is a transverse sec- 7 Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line Y Y Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view.

of Chemung and State on which is mounted a removable clutch.

casing. This clutch casing comprises a back plate 4 and a cover plate 5 which are secured together and to the fly-wheel by means of a plurality of bolts 6 passing through the outer edges or flanges thereof. The cover plate 5 is threaded onto a spider 7 which has a relative sliding movement with respect to a sleeve 8 as the clutch mechanism is thrown in and out. This sleeve 8 is provided with a trunnion ring 10 between which trunnion ring and sleeve is interposed an anti-friction device such as the ball-bearings 11. This trunnion ring is adapted to be connected with a clutch-operating mechanism such, for example, as the foot-lever of an automobile not herein shown. The clutch mechanism is connected adjacent the trunnion ring 10 with the transmission casing in any desired manner to provide a dust-proof construction to prevent foreign matter entering the cover plate 5 and clogging the clutch mechanism hereinafter described.

Passing through the sleeve 8 and out of contact therewith in order to permit certain flexibility and freedom of movement, is a driven shaft 12 forked at its inner end to provide a pair of arms 13 carrying trunnions 14; (see Fig. 4). Intermediate the arms 13 is a stub-shaft stud 15 having a rounded end 16 fitting in a socket 17 carried by the rear plate 4:- This curved stub shaft forms a thrust bearing for the driven shaft 12 and is of such curvature at its er 1 as to .permit universal movement of the shaft 12 to alimited extent therein. On the socket spider 7. The

ery which co-act with grooves 24 in the outer periphery of the plate 21. This form of construction locks the plate 21 and the disks 22 against relative rotation but permits longitudinal compression and expansion of the plates as the clutch mechanism is thrown in and out.

The plate 21 is provided with two diametrically opposed radial grooves which, as shown in the present drawings, are vertically disposed. These grooves are formed by two flat surfaces 25, only one of which is shown in Fig. 4, between which surfaces a block 26, carrying the trunnions 14, on

the driven shaft, has a rotary sliding movement as the driven shaft is rocked or oscillates about its center of movement. The trunnions 14 are secured by the pin27 to the blocks 26; the blocks being slotted at 27 to permit a free movement of the trunnions in a plane normal to their axis. It will thus be seen that this form of connection between the driving and driven members provides a universal joint between these parts, giving the clutch mechanism as a whole the desired flexibility.

Intermediate the friction disks 22 carried by the driven member are positioned two friction disks 30 which are also preferably made of saw-blade steel and splined to the cover plate 5 and have lagged on their surfaces sheets of non-burnbestos 31 by means of rivets 32. Other layers of the same inaterial or similarmaterial of a non-combus tible character having a high co-eificient of periphery (in the presentcase 3) longitudinal rack members 34 provided with sharply inclined teeth which co-act with similarly inclined teeth 35 on a gear sector 36. This'gear sector is provided with a bushing 37 adapted to turn upon a stud 38 mounted in the spider 7. Intermediate the spider and the gear sector 36 is a ringshaped cam member 40 locked against movement by lugs 39 on the spider 7. This memher is provided with diametrically oppo-. 'sitely disposed rounded cams 41 co-acting with concave inclined cam surfaces 42 on the gear sector. It will thus be seen that as the rack 34 moves inwardly under the action of the 'coil spring 33, it will cause the gear sectors 36 to rotate about the stud shaft 38 and the cams 41 will ride up on the concave cam surface 42 and cause an inward movevshown in Fig. 1.

ment of the pressure plate 29. This will force the disks 22 and 30 into tightly compressedrelation and effectively connect the driving and driven members.

The pressure plate 29 is provided at a plurality of points about itsouterperiphery with headed studs 43 about which are coil springs 44 reacting on a fixed ring 45. This ring 45 rests against the pressure plate 29 and is held against movement by splines 46 which prevent rotation of the disks 30. These springs tend to restore the parts to separated position when the clutch lever is store the parts to the released position herein From the above description and the accompanying drawings, it will readily be seen that the parts constituting the present device are so constructed, connected and arranged as to permit the device to be easily and quickly separated into units in order that certain parts may be cleaned or replaced as may be necessary." For instance, by loosening the bolts 6 connecting. the coverplate 5 with the fly-wheel 3, the cover 5' together with the friction disks and clutch-actuating mechanism may be withdrawn bodily along the shaft 12. By the use of a spanner wrench engaging holes 47 in the spider 7, the cover plate 5 and the spider may be disconnected which will permit access to the rack, gear sectors and cam mechanism. The

driving and driven devices may be readily disconnected as the square blocks 26 will slide laterally between the flat surfaces 25 of the plate 21.

The term non-burnbestos as herein used is not intended to be interpreted in a strict technical sense or as referring to any material now existing which bears this term as a trade-name. This term as here used is intended to define a material which in its character is substantially incombustible, as for instance asbestos.

For certain features of invention disclosed by the present case, reference should be had to an application of Gilbert J. Scofield for U. S. Letters Patent filed April 5, 1913, Serial No. 759,032.

It is thus seen that this invention provides a simple and practical clutch mechanism of strong and durable construction which will be highly eliicient in use. It is particularly designed to permit a certain flexibility of movement demanded in motor vehicles especially, and the present invention is believed to accomplish, among others, all the objects and advantages above set forth.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof. it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or actuated to compress the spring33 and reshown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent is: p

1. In aclutch mechanism, in combination, a driving shaft, a wheel fixed thereto, a stud secured to said Wheel in axial alinement with said driving shaft, a casing secured to said wheel, friction plates carried by said casing, a member mounted on said stud adapted to have relative angular movement therewith and having friction plates secured thereto for rotation therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and a driven shaft loosely connected to said member at a point substantiallybetween said friction plates and said stud, said connection comprising means whereby rotary movement of said member is transmitted to said driven shaft while different elative angular movements between the two are permitted.

2. In aclut'ch mechanism, in combination, a driving shaft, a wheel-fixed thereto, a stud secured to said wheel in axial alinement with said driving shaft, a casing secured to said Wheel, friction plates carried'by said casing,

a member mounted on saidstud adapted to have relative angular movement, therewith and having friction plates secured thereto for rotation therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and a driven shaft comprising a forked end adapted to straddle the said stud and a portion of said member and means providing a substantially universal connection between said shaft and said member.

i 3. 'In a clutch mechanism, in combination, a driving shaft. a Wheel fixed thereto, a stud secured to said wheel in axial alinement with said drivlng shaft, a casing secured to said wheel, friction plates carried by said casing,

a member mounted on said stud adapted to have relative angular movement therewith and having fri'ot1on plates secured thereto for rotation therewith and longitudinal movement thereon, and a driven shaft comprising a forked end adapted to straddle the said stud and a portion of said member and means providing a substantially universal connection between said shaft and said member, said driven shaft also comprising a second stud seated in the first said stud.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence oftwo witnesses.

' GILBERT J. SCOFIELD. Witnesses: a

P. A; BLAIR, "C; J. KULBERQ 

